The Secret Life of Skyelar
by Skye451
Summary: Introduces a new character... twisted romances... Ziva & Tony? McGee & ? Or will there be too many secrets and too much heartbreak?
1. Found Again

~Skye's POV~

It was late. The sun was long gone. In my hand I had a picture of him, and the address of where he would (hopefully) be.

Somehow, I made it to the elevator. I hit a random button and hoped for the best. In my weakened state I slumped against the back wall. The doors opened and I had just enough time to hear "Umm… I think we have a problem," before the darkness overtook me and I drifted away from reality.

I opened my eyes, not at all rested. My surroundings blurred as I pushed myself into a sitting position, brushing my dark brown hair out of my eyes. A quick check proved that my pistol was gone off the holster on my side, but my back- up and knife were still with me. Did I really look that innocent?

"Hello," a male voice said, "I think you have some explaining to do."

I turned toward a silver-haired man, with a hard look to his face.

"When I didn't say anything, he started: "Alright we'll start easy—what's your name?"

"What's yours?" I asked trying to mask my usual sarcasm.

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

"Skyelar."

"You got a last name?"

I looked him straight in the eyes, "You wouldn't believe me."

"How 'bout you try me, kid?"

I got defensive.

"I am not a kid."

The two people behind him were starting to get uneasy. I looked around the room I was in; it looked like a break room, with vending machines, microwaves, and such. I was sitting on a small leather couch against the back wall. Great. I love being carried by strangers…

I sighed. If I wanted any help at all, I was going to have to cooperate… a little bit.

"Alright you win… for now. I'll be sixteen soon. My parents were murdered last year. Since then I've been doing a pretty good job at keeping safe, but in the past few months, I've realized no one is ever as safe as they seem."

I paused.

"Is that all?" he asked, clearly disappointed with my lack of information.

"I don't wear yellow," I said, my smart-ass attitude finally surfacing… "It washes out my complexion you know?"

He slammed his fist down and stormed out of the room.

"It's nice to meet you!" I yelled after him.

~Tony's POV~

"Tony! Where in the hell have you been? Gibbs is going to kill you!"

"Not so loud McGeek, I've been… out."

Man, I really need to stop with these Monday morning hangovers…

"We tried to call you," he continued, "but—"

"You mean this?" I opened my desk drawer and held up a cell phone, "I forgot it here, jeezus."

"McGee! Go help Ziva!" Gibbs walked in, more pissed than usual.

"With what Boss?" he asked, making the mistake of questioning Gibbs' motives.

"Dammit, just get out of here!"

"Yes, sir!" And then he shuffled out of sight.

"Sorry I didn't answer m—"I started, but got interrupted midway through my rushed apology.

"DiNozzo, do you have any idea why a teenage girl was in out elevator, with your picture and desk address?!"

"Uh—"

"Make yourself useful and take her DNA sample down to Abby; we've got to find out who this girl is."

I bet I have a good guess, and if I'm right we're in big trouble…

~Skye's POV~

The guy with the long name came back into the room, where he had left me with a woman named Ziva David and guy named Timothy McGee.

This time, he wasn't alone.

Tony.

I knew the moment our eyes met that he recognized me. And what did he do? He lied.

He turned his head, facing away from me, "I don't know her, Boss," he said in a low voice, though obviously not low enough…

I leaned my head back against the wall; this was going to be a long day. But so far, I had the upper hand. I knew they had taken my DNA while I was passed out and now it was only a matter of time before the truth came out.

"How would you feel about letting us go through your things?" 'Gibbs' asked, looking pointedly at my black backpack.

I shrugged, and tossed it to him. I bit back a smile as I watched him cleverly disguise his surprise.

~Tony's POV~

"I can't believe she gave Gibbs all of her stuff like that. She must not have anything to hide," I said, entering our forensic scientist's lab.

"I wouldn't say that just yet, Tony," Abby, the forensic scientist said, poking me in the stomach with a pencil.

I looked at all the stuff she had had in her backpack that was now laid out on the table.

"What have you got, Abbs?" Gibbs asked, walking into the lab.

"You're not going to believe it, Gibbs…" she answered.

"Try me," he countered.

Woah. That girl was a mess. She had a laptop that Gibbs had sent to McGee to hack into, a Glock-17 with extra magazines, a knife, some clothes, a couple pairs of latex gloves, some cash, a box of tampons… and some condoms.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said, I want you and Ziva to watch in Observation; I'm going to see how much I can get out of her in Interrogation."

Ohh man, she had no idea what she was in for.

~Skye's POV~

"You can call me Gibbs," he said.

"You can call me Skye."

I wondered what kind of technique he was going to use to make me spill my guts, man I was never going to stop seeing these rooms…

"Why are you here?" he asked, standing across from me.

I looked up at him from where I was sitting in the only hard backed chair in the small room, where besides the table; there was nothing but a sheet of glass where who knows what people were watching.

"Got the results back from my DNA?" I wiggled my eyebrows.

He was already getting pissed at my smart-ass comments… great!

I lowered my voice, "It's just better that you see it with proof, instead of having you doubt me. Trust is everything, "my voice just a whisper at the end.

"Why are you here?" he repeated, this time his voice losing its threatening tone.

"Because I'm not going to put someone in danger with them clueless."

"Who are you putting in danger, Skye?"

"Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

"Gibbs!" a breathless McGee burst through the door.

What?!" he growled.

Note to self: Never interrupt Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"Boss, you've got to see this…"


	2. Shocking News and Secrets

***Sigh* no I don't own NCIS… but ohhh man if I did… (: well… enjoy!!!!**

~Tony's POV~

"Tony! Get your ass over here!" Gibbs demanded and I hurried out of the Observation room where Ziva and I had been watching the Interrogation.

McGee forgot about Gibbs' rule, "Never, Ever Interrupt Gibbs in Interrogation."

He shut the door where Skye sat alone.

"Dammit, DiNozzo why didn't you tell me that she was your sister?!"

He shoved the DNA test in my face, where my DNA had been compared to hers, proving that Skye was, in fact, my full sister.

I rubbed my face, feeling the stubble after a late night and a morning without time to shave.

"Hello?!" an angry Gibbs slapped me in the back of the head.

"Well… yeah I kinda knew…" I admitted.

I thought he was going to hit me again, but instead he took a moment to calm down and said, "Tell me what you know about her."

I took a deep breath.

"Her name is Skyelar Lorelle DiNozzo," I started, "I was seven when she was born. She was really smart, and when she was going into second grade, my parents told me she was going away to a 'special school.' Up until then, we had been inseparable, and when she was sent away, I was devastated," It hurt me to talk about it, but it had to be done, "I wrote her letters, but when nothing came back in return, I just stopped writing. My parents stopped talking about her and I wasn't allowed to. Her pictures were taken down off the walls, and her room was cleared out. She was… erased from our lives completely. The only time I've seen her after that was at my parents' funeral. She came in a black Yukon and a couple guys got out too. It was like they… guarded her. She didn't talk to anyone, and when I tried to, it turned into a shouting match and she left right after that."

I stopped, choking on all and any words. What had happened to my little sister? The question must've been written on my face because Gibbs said, "We'll find out, DiNozzo."

"Didn't she say her parents were murdered last year, Gibbs?" McGee asked hesitantly.

"Take this down to Ducky," Abby told me, giving me some paperwork on an old case, "please," she added, and then winked at me before turning back to Skye's stuff.

I stopped in the hallway before entering Autopsy. I could hear Gibbs and Ducky talking; it sounded like I had caught the beginning of the conversation.

"Why didn't DiNozzo tell me he had a sister?!"

Shit. Gibbs sounded mad.

"Jethro, you have to understand that young Anthony was hurt that his parents sent his sister away, and since he felt _she _pushed him away, he tried his best to return the favor."

"And what is _with_ her?!" Gibbs was on a roll now, "She's a complete mystery! And I hate—"

"Not having the control?"

"What do I do, Duck?"

It scared me, seeing the normally collected Gibbs so unsure.

"One of the team needs to get close to her. It's the only way you're going to _really _learn about her. And also, she has many dark secrets, Jethro, and you _need _to learn what they are—"

"Tony? What are you—"I slapped my hand over McGee's mouth.

Shut up, Probie, or they'll—"

"Find out you were eavesdropping, DiNozzo?"

Damn it, I forgot that Gibbs knows everything… well, except when it comes to my little sister…

"I've got something, Boss" McGee said.

"Pull it up on the big screen," Gibbs ordered.

Ziva, Gibbs, and I were in a line waiting for McGee to show what he had found on the blank DVD in Skye's laptop.

"Alright," McGee said, "there are three groups of videos. The third group has been viewed the most, almost every day… the last time was last night right before Gibbs and I found her in the elevator. The second one was viewed only once, a few months ago. And the first one has been viewed and edited a few times a month."

"Start with the first one, McGee," Gibbs said.

I think everyone had stopped breathing in anticipation.

"Woah," I said.

They were some kind of training videos, and man did she kick _ass. _

"Shit, she was trained by fucking ninjas," I spoke again, but no one answered; all eyes were on the grace and agility of my little sister. I had to keep reminding myself—this wasn't a criminal or super-human; this was my _little sister. _

"Fast forward, McGee," Gibbs said after about ten minutes.

"Okay, here's the second video group," McGee said.

"What the—"

"Oh my _god_—"

"_Damn _it—"

"Holy shit—"

All of our faces were the same masks of horror.

"Ducky was right," Gibbs muttered.

**Ahh!!! This is so fun to write!! Big *plans* for Chapter 3!! It should be longer, and there will be more in Skye's view!! Have faith in me!!!**


	3. Plans

**Hey faithful readers! Don't get expectant of posts every couple days, you can thank my school system for allowing us to stay home because of bad weather, so I've spent all day writing this masterpiece :p anyways, a special thanks to DimikasRoza (my helper and one of my best friends), my sophomore crush (WB&EC), my sister (Crazy Cat Ladies To Be), and Akon, Lil Wayne, The Lonely Island, and Chris Brown. 3**

~Tony's POV~

Ziva had tears in her eyes, McGee looked like he was going to puke, Gibbs was stunned, and I… I wanted to scream.

Why? Because on the big screen was a bad-quality, dark video of Skye being tortured and raped.

"Cut it off, McGee," there was an edge to Gibbs' voice, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was.

No one spoke for a long time.

Finally, though, Gibbs said, "The third one, McGee."

We were all afraid of what we would see next, our minds coming up with the cruelest of things.

But instead, it was a shot of Skye and me at her third birthday party. In fact, every video in the third video group was a shot of Skye and me—before she left so many years ago.

"She never forgot, Tony," Ziva whispered, and looked at me. And even though I knew that her look full of compassion and concern was directed toward Skye, it still made my heart jump.

I wish I had known what I was giving away on my face, because she blushed and looked away.

"Tony," Gibbs said, "Go make up with your sister."

~Skye's POV~

"I really like you, you know that Skye?"

"You seem to be the only one…" I answered.

I was still sitting in the Interrogation Room, even though I don't think anyone was watching from Observation.

Which meant they must've found something big on me.

Shit.

Probably the videos… damn it; I forgot to get rid of that disc before I left. Or at least delete the second video group… Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck—

"Umm, Skye are you okay?"

Woops, I must've been saying that out loud.

I smiled, "Abby, I'm fine."

The Goth grinned at me, "Gibbs likes you."

"Yeah, and I'm a ninja," I said sarcastically.

"Tony thinks so…"

I rolled my eyes.

"So what's everybody like?" I asked.

"Well," she started—

After Abby spent the past twenty minutes talking about the team, I felt like I had known them my whole life.

Tony chose that moment to walk in the door.

"Thanks for watching her, Abby," he said, and then looked down at me, "I'll take it from here."

"Bye!" she said to me, and then gave me a huge hug before gracefully leaving the room.

"So," he said, closing the door and sitting down.

There was something different about the way he looked at me; I knew at once that he had watched what was on that disc.

I looked away, "Tony, I never ever forgot about you," I whispered, "but _you_ forgot about me."

He leaned in close to me, "Skye, _nothing _could make me forget about you. And, shit, I tried…"

"You never wrote! You promised me you would! You told me you would write every day!" the accusations spilled out of my mouth; both of our anger spiking.

"You're the one who didn't write _me_ back!!" he yelled, "I gave my letters to Mom and she mailed them! I wrote you for MONTHS!"

"I never got any letters," I said under my breath, my anger disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

"What? So either someone at your school was keeping them… or our parents were."

I snorted at the word 'school.'

"It had to be Mom and Dad; everybody else got letters. But why would they keep them?"

"I don't know, but I'll find out."

And then he wrapped his arms around me in an overdue hug.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he said glancing around after we stepped apart, "you need to explain where you've been all this time."

I was perched on top of Tony's desk, with everybody watching me expectantly.

I bit my lip, not knowing where to start.

"Umm…" I began, "It's California."

"Where exactly, in California?" Gibbs asked.

"By the beach."

I think everyone sighed at the same time.

"It's not a school. Well, it kind of is. But not like bookwork, and classrooms… at least not most of the time. It's a… training facility…" I looked at Gibbs," they train young Marines. Like, _young _Marines; like me."

Gibbs had narrowed his eyes, "What?"

"Look I know you watched what was on that disc," I nodded toward my computer, open on the desk across from the one I was sitting at, "you saw what I can do."

And there was no denying _that._

It was then that my phone decided to ring. I knew I had a guilty look on my face.

"Skye, when we asked if you had any electronics on you, a cell phone was included," Tony said.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, taking my phone out of my pocket.

"Ah, ah," Gibbs said, "speaker phone."

I mumbled some inappropriate things under my breath, flipped my cell open, and put it on speaker phone.

"Skye!" a familiar voice said, "I know you told me not to call, but—"

"Hey, Farmer Boy, you're on speaker phone."

"Who's listening..?"

"NCIS Special Agents…" I said acidly.

He laughed," I knew you couldn't last!" he laughed again, harder this time, "little Skyelar got arrested already..."

"I didn't get arrested you Jackass. And you're going to regret that laughing spell when I see you next; I found Tony."

"Oh."

"Damn right, 'oh' you fucker. How's everything on the west coast?"

"…Bad…"

"Define _bad._"

"Everybody's going crazy looking for you. Ellis is pissed; he thinks I know something—"

"Which you do."

"Yeah, but don't worry I haven't said anything. So anyways, since he _knows _you wouldn't have your phone on you, I _knew _you would."

"You sound pretty damned proud of yourself; would you like a round of applause?"

"That would be nice; yes. Man, I miss your tight, smart little ass."

"What did I say? NCIS SPECIAL AGENTS! And above all else, _my brother_."

"Right…"

I rolled my eyes, only slightly embarrassed.

"SHIT! Skye, Ellis is coming!!"

"Let him come, it's only a matter of time before he finds me anyways."

I looked around; everyone was immersed in my conversation.

"Now," I told them," in about five seconds, you're going to hear the angry voice of _my_ boss. Five… four… three… two… one—"

"Who gave you permission to make a call?!" the sound of his phone hitting, and then sliding across the floor was barely heard over the sound of Ellis's yelling.

"This must be The Fairy," was suddenly spoken from the other line.

"Hey Ellis! How's it going?"

"Amusing, Skyelar. Where in the hell are you?"

"Did you miss me?"

"SKYELAR!"

"Yeah, yeah… don't pop that blood vessel in your forehead," I could hear Farmer Boy laughing in the background, "I'm with my brother. In DC; at NCIS headquarters."

"Let me speak with the person in charge."

I looked at Gibbs; he nodded. Walking over, he picked it up and turned the speaker phone off, putting it to his ear.

There was a pause, and then Gibbs said, "Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

Ha! I'd never get tired of hearing him say that…

Another pause.

"Yes, we do. Okay."

And then he hung up.

"DiNozzo, David," he said, "MTAC; now. McGee; babysit."

And then they disappeared up the stairs.

"Babysit, my ass." I said, "You don't think I'm a baby do you?" I flashed my puppy-dog eyes and leaned over close to McGee's face.

"N-no," he stammered, taken aback; he shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts of whatever subject they were on.

I laughed.

Twenty minutes later, Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs came back down the staircase.

"So what's going on?" I asked.

"We're going to California," Gibbs said.

"When you say 'we'…"

"I mean all of us. If you're going to be staying here awhile, your 'boss' wants you back there for a few days first. And don't worry… you _will_ be coming back to DC."

**Please read and review!! My inspiration and love, Michael Weatherly ;)**


	4. Some Truth

**Sorry it's been awhile!! I haven't had many chances to type it up, and I'm already stuck on the next chapter!! Anyways, thanks for being faithful… so here it is!!!**

~Tony's POV~

"We're leaving in the morning," Gibbs told us, "Tony, take her back to your place," he looked at Skye, "You look like you could use a hot shower and some sleep."

As a matter of fact, she did look tired. More than tired; she looked absolutely drained.

"When do I get my stuff back?" she asked.

"Here you go."

Gibbs handed her the backpack, without her gun and extra magazines, and her laptop.

She sighed, looking too exhausted to fight.

Gibbs pulled me aside, giving me a few instructions, and then I took her to my car.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

She stared out the window, "Not really."

Oh shit, she sounded miserable.

Mr. Ellis's voice echoed in my head, "She was anorexic for about a year and a half. She recovered, but if something-- _anything_ is bothering her, she won't eat."

She was silent the rest of the trip to my apartment, but I felt that I was the only one who thought it was awkward; she seemed lost in her own world.

"This is it," I said, opening the door to my apartment. Thank the maid had cleaned today, since when I woke up this morning I didn't think I was going to be hosting my little sister.

I showed her where the rooms were, and took her to the guest bedroom where she would be staying.

She threw her backpack on the bed, and turned toward me. Through the sleep-deprived look on her face, she looked… nervous? guilty?

She knelt down, rolling up her pant leg.

"I just want you to trust me," was all she said.

She straightened up holding a Glock in her hand; this one smaller than the one we had already confiscated.

"And," she retrieved a knife from her left angle.

She held them out to me, looking almost… sad.

"Skye," I said gently pushing her hands down and embracing her in a hug.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled into my shirt.

"What on _Earth _do you have to apologize for?" I knelt in front of her has she sat down on the edge of bed.

"For all of the questions that you're dying, but scared to ask. For all of the pain I've caused you, for barging in on your life that was going along perfectly without me—"

There were tears in her dark brown eyes and I had a feeling this was a rare occurrence.

"Skye, no," the last word was firm, but was all I could think of to say.

She swallowed, "I came here… because the people who want to kill me… want to kill _you _too."

"What do you mean?!" I demanded.

I hadn't realized I was shaking her until a look of pain crossed her face for a quick moment. I loosened my grip on her shoulders.

My eyes narrowed, and I slowly pulled the sleeve of her jacket and shirt down, exposing bare skin. Bare skin spotted with new bruises.

It was then that I really looked at her. I looked past her thin, but strong frame, and her beautiful, but young face. Scars inside and out were visible. Her hands were soft, but her knuckles were laced with scars, both old and new. I wondered how many bones she'd broken in her life; she had probably lost count. Above her right eyebrow was a scar which had surely needed stitches at the time.

"What happened?!" I said in a fierce whisper, referring to the bruises on her shoulder.

More than anything, at that moment I just wanted to take her far away from everything; I just wanted to protect her from all threats.

"I left the Institute four days ago," she explained," and I had a run in with some guys… I've been getting these calls, messages and stuff ever since Mom and Dad died. It's been happening more and more lately, but I didn't really pay much attention to it… until they started mentioning you."

"What do they want?" my voice a whisper again.

"They want me—and now you… dead."

"Wha—why?"

"I think it has something to do with Mom and Dad."

We were both silent, deep in thought… so it was startling when there was a knock at the door.

"Keep these," I whispered, folding her hands around her weapons.

I took my own gun out of its holster, and walked stealthily toward the door.

Gun cocked, I opened the door.

"Jeezus, Tony! Put that away!" It was McGee.

"That's what she said!" Skye called, walking into the room with a sweet smile on her face.

There was no trace of the conversation we had just had in her expression.

McGee laughed at me as I put my gun away.

"I brought pizza," he said, holding up a square box.

"Ladies first!" Skye jumped in, stealing a piece of pizza and then dancing out of the way.

~Skye's POV~

"Hey," someone murmured, gently shaking me.

I mumbled something, opening my eyes into McGee's face; I had fallen asleep against him on the couch.

"Sorry," I said, sitting up running a hand through my tousled hair, "Where's Tony?"

"He went back to NCIS to help Gibbs," he said, "Apparently we're being picked up by a private jet tomorrow morning," he added, more to himself than me.

I smiled, _my_ jet.

"Are you still tired?"

I sighed, "Yeah, but I need to get a shower. Tony said Ziva left some stuff here from when she stayed here while her apartment was getting fixed. Speaking of that…"

He shrugged.

"So everybody knows Ziva and Tony love each other… except for Tony and Ziva…?" I inquired.

"You got that already?"

It was my turn to shrug now; "I read people easily."

We stepped closer to each other; more than necessary in fact.

"What do you read about me?"

"Well," I placed my hands on his chest, and he put his hands over mine, "you're extremely caring, tired of being the rookie, Tony is your best friend even if you two won't admit it…" I trailed off, feeling his warm breath on my face.

I leaned in closer, if that was even possible, "Tim…"

"Skye…" he breathed.

Our faces were almost touching by then… our lips parted…

The key turned in the lock, and we tore apart just as Tony walked in, not suspecting a thing.

I turned around and walked out of the room.

I stood in the shower leaning against the wall. I was exhausted beyond comprehension, and I couldn't quite wrap my head around the almost kiss.

_Almost kiss._

Jeezus this sounded like a cheesy fairytale. It's just too bad in fairy tales you don't get raped, almost killed, escape, and then have to protect your brother because of something your parents did. When you don't know _what _they did.

I'm fucking screwed.

**My thanks to all readers! My life is jacked up right now!! Thank God I still have this story.!**


	5. California Part 1

**It's been a while, I know!! I've had a minor case of writer's block… so enjoy!! **

~Tony's POV~

"DiNozzo!"

I woke up with a start, almost falling out of my seat.

"You better not make it a—habit—of falling asleep on the job," Gibbs slapped me in the back of the head on the word "habit".

"Sorry… err, where's Skye?" I asked guiltily – I was supposed to be watching her, like she was freaking three years old…

Luckily she couldn't go far on a plane.

"I'll check the cockpit," I said quickly, hurrying to the front of the plane, looking past Gibbs' glare.

I found her there, talking with the pilots; they were laughing like old friends.

"Skye," I said, making my presence known, but I think she already knew I was there…

"Yeah?" she spun around, and I expected her to be angry that I had interrupted her, but she had a fairly innocent look on her face. Uh oh…

"Can I talk to you?" I asked, and her eyebrows rose at my hesitant tone.

She nodded anyways, and said goodbye to the two guys. To me it seemed obvious that we were related, because of the way she used her looks and charm to get what she wanted.

_So what did those guys give her…?_

"So what's up?" Skye asked, pulling me by the arm down on one of the seats.

She looked at me expectantly.

"We need to talk."

"And right now we're…?"

"Cut the sarcasm, Skye. This is serious."

"Alright well _tell _me what's so serious."

"These people that are trying to… kill us, are they the same people that… did that to you?"

A pained expression only crossed her face for a moment, and if I hadn't been looking for it, I never would've caught it; she knew exactly what "that" was.

She looked away from me, "It's the same guy; he's the leader of everybody else. Can you believe I was raped by someone and I don't even know what their face looks like?"

Her voice broke and she stared up at me then, a faint mist in her eyes. It killed me seeing her hurting.

I wrapped her in my arms.

"Tony—,"her voice breaking, muffled in my shirt, "I can't even indentify him; he could walk by me every day and I would never know. I would _never know._"

"You've never worked with Gibbs before," I said, resting my chin on the top of her head," we'll get this figured out. I promise."

She stared at me with those trusting eyes after that, "You promise?"

"That's what I said isn't it?"

I got a hard punch in the arm for that.

She was smiling as she sat up, "I think we should go back to where it all started."

"And where is that?"

"Mom and Dad's house."

Their house had been left to me, and I hadn't done much with it after they died. I was still in the process of getting a realtor to sell it, but I had never wanted to sell the only memories I had of Skye; turns out that had been a good idea.

I nodded my head, "That's a good idea; if these guys are related to Mom and Dad, maybe there's something at the house that'll help us."

"So we'll go there when we get back?"

"I'll have to talk to Gibbs, but—"

"He's right behind… actually."

I twisted around, where, in fact, my boss was standing.

"Good job, DiNozzos."

"_This_ is your room?"

Skye punched me in the gut for that.

"It's simple and I it's all I've had for how many years, so shut it asshole."

The Institute was prison-looking, gray, with high fences and armed guards around every corner. It made all of us nervous.

Skye, however, looked perfectly at ease.

Her room was gray (no way!) with a big blue bed, desk, connected bathroom, and a black futon. And a… hamster cage?

"That's Harrison," she said brightly.

"You have a hamster?"

"Yep! Wanna see him?"

"No!"

Maybe she _was _human…

I realized she was staring at me.

"Tony, I hated this place. I still do. But I had to call it home, until I had a good reason to escape and not be dragged back."

"You mean helping me?"

She nodded.

"So what do we do now?" I asked, glancing around the room.

"Well, dinner was a couple hours ago… I'll show you your room."

Everyone else had been led to the rooms they'd be staying in, but Gibbs wanted one of us with Skye at all times, so I was with her.

"Are we allowed…?" I asked hesitantly.

She smiled, almost viciously, "Skyelar DiNozzo can do whatever she wants around here," she opened the door, motioning for me to follow," I _own _this place."

The room I was staying in was by everyone else's, and not too far away from Skye's. It looked pretty much the same, except smaller.

I gazed out the window; it was almost completely dark out.

We both looked up as Gibbs, Ziva, McGee, and a uniformed guard walked in.

"McGee," Gibbs instructed," Stay with Skye. DiNozzo, come with us."

"Where are we going, Boss?" I asked as we left the room, looking over at Ziva.

"We have a meeting with Mr. Ellis."

~McGee's POV~

I thought back to the last time Skye and I had been left alone, silently panicking. I was supposed to be professional and smart, and I'd almost kissed her. But being around her was so…

"What should we do?" I asked, trying to play it cool.

She laid down on the bed, my bed. Uh oh.

She was wearing black flip flops, tight white pants, and a blue shirt with no sleeves, exposing her bra straps. I shuddered. She was _hot_. She was one of those people that made you stare as she walked by. One of those people that made you envy the guy holding her hand…

I shook my head.

_Oh no, I'm turning into Tony._

She scooted over, motioning for me to lay down. I did.

She rolled over on her side, propping her head up with her elbow.

"We can do _whatever _you want," she breathed.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…

My mind went blank.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" I asked, realizing I was breathless.

She sat up, shrugging with a coy smile on her face.

"I think I liked it better when you were laying down with me," I said, surprising myself, but what was even more surprising was that she did.

"McGee…" she started, her voice tender.

It's just too bad I'll never know what she was going to say, because at the moment, someone knocked on the door.

I cursed under my breath and Skye sent me an apologetic smile. I would soon live for that simple smile.

She was answering the door as I stood up, straightening my jacket.

"Jace!" she exclaimed, jumping into someone's arms.

"Happy birthday," a deep voice said.

"You remembered!"

"Of course, sweetie."

Wait. Birthday?

"So," he said, pulling her out in the hallway.

I moved closer to hear, but still couldn't make out the conversation.

"Okay," Skye told him, finally stepping back into the room.

He—Jace—walked back down the hall.

"It's your birthday today?"

"Sweet sixteen!"

"Oh. I'm sorry I didn't know—"

"How could you? You've only know I exist for two days."

And already I…

"So who was that? The guy you talked to on the phone yesterday?"

"The one and only."

"So what did he… want?"

She raised an eyebrow, "McGee, don't pry."

"Is he your boyfriend?" I blurted.

So much for not prying…

She sighed, "He used to be."

"What happened?"

A sad smile appeared on her face, "I've always wanted to be far away from this place. He can't picture himself anywhere else."

"How long did you two go out?"

_No! Stop before she gets pissed!_

"Over a year and a half; he turned seventeen a couple weeks ago, and I broke it off before then."

"Were those condoms his?"

_Stop it Tim!_

"Yeah, he thought it'd be funny…"

"You guys have had sex."

And then she snapped. Just like I knew she would.

"Yes! McGee, YES we have! Now if you're finished _profiling _me, I'm going back to my room to get a shower!"

She turned around and walked out, slamming the door on the way.

I sat on the bed for a while after that.

_Why did I have to do that?! Everything was going great, until I had to run my mouth, messing everything up._

I sighed, it was time to find her; if Gibbs knew I wasn't with her he'd be pissed.

And that's why it was oh so unfortunate to find her room empty.

**Hope you liked it!! **

**"Fell in love when I saw you standing there. It must have been the way... today was a fairytale..." Taylor Swift- Today Was a Fairytale.**

**Boys suck!!!**


	6. California Part 2

**I owe my inspiration to my best friend who despises NCIS more than anything, and my new friend who has yet to discover how special he is to me. But most of all, I get my inspiration from the feeling that I can write about whatever I want; because for once in my life, I can be in control.**

** --beware: this chapter has some adult themes ;)**

~McGee's POV~

"What do you mean you lost her, McGee?" Gibbs demanded, slapping me harder than usual in the back of the head.

"I mean that—" I tried desperately to come up with a good enough answer to avoid another slap "—I made her mad, and she told me she was going back here for a shower… but she's not…"

"_Obviously_, Probie," Tony said, "nice going, losing my sister… what exactly did you say that pissed her off?"

"That doesn't matter," Ziva, thank god, interrupted, "How long has it been since you last saw her?"

I made a few calculations in my head.

"Twenty-five minutes."

"…Where could she go in twenty-five minutes?"

_God only knows._

~Skye's POV~

"Thanks, Jace… for everything," I murmured.

"It _is _your birthday, after all," was his response.

I smiled.

I stripped down to my bikini, stepping into the cool water. One of the perks to the Institute being on the beach, was that if your best friend devises a plan to get the babysitting NCIS agents away from you, the ocean is at your fingertips for a midnight swim.

He studied me in the moonlight.

"What?" I inquired.

I looked down, where tattoos marked most of my skin. There was a diamond shape around my belly button with a diamond belly-button ring, and lines snaked down on my sides, all the way to my hips. On my stomach were mysterious shapes and designs, each with a particular meaning. On my back was an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, the Marines symbol; it covered my whole back, detailed and brilliant. But lastly, on my underwear line, there were two stars located behind the lines running down my sides.

All this, could be covered with a dark tank top. And Jace was the only one who knew about them, except for a few doctors and the tattooist that gave me a discount for the frequent visits.

He never could figure out why I liked them so much, but the truth was, I didn't know myself.

"You know, I kind of feel bad about pretending to be mad at McGee. He believed me, you know, and he's going to get in trouble…"

"What?!Skyelar DiNozzo feels _bad_?!" he mocked.

I chased him, and when I caught him, he threw me into the water.

I laughed as he came into the water with me, and he pulled me close, moving his hands down my sides.

I caught his fingers as they reached my hips.

"Jace—no."

"Skye—"

"That was a long time ago, Jace."

He said nothing, looking into my eyes. And that's how I knew when he was going to kiss me. I let his lips linger on mine for a moment, before pushing him away.

"I still love you, Skye."

"I don't… I don't love you anymore."

"Wait—"

And then my temper flared, "Dammit, Jace, if your master plan was to get me back, you're sadly mistaken! You're my best friend and that's all I want you to be right now! We had something then, but _not now_!"

"Skye…" his voice sounded beyond hurt, and it felt like a knife in my stomach.

"Just get away from me!" I screamed at him.

I shoved him roughly, and with an unrecognizable look on his face, he stepped out of the water.

I watched him go, before dragging myself to the beach. I made it halfway to my clothes before I lost it, slipping to the ground in body-shaking sobs.

I was tired of my best friend still being in love with me, I was tired of my sick and violent past that was sooner or later going to be discovered, and I was tired of being babysat by NCIS agents.

McGee.

Who was going to get in trouble because of _me._

Eventually, the sobs subsided, and I lay still where I had fallen.

And that's where he found me.

~McGee's POV~

At first I thought she was dead, lying motionless on the beach.

But as my panicked run brought me closer to her, I saw the small rise and fall of her chest.

"Skye!" I knelt down beside her, and her eyes opened.

The dull look that filled them terrified me, but what terrified me even more were the lines across her skin, usually covered by a shirt.

I sucked in a breath as the moon moved out from behind the clouds, showing that they weren't scars or bruises, but tattoos; and a _lot _of them.

I didn't have too much time to stare though, because at that moment, I heard Gibbs' calling.

"Did you find her, McGee?" he yelled.

"Yeah, Boss!"

At the sound of his voice, Skye finally came into motion.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, helping her stand up.

She shook her head, seeming to measure the distance to her pile of clothes Gibbs was walking by.

"McGee," she said in a panicked voice, looking at her stomach, "hand me your jacket!"

"Why—"

"Please! He can't see this," she answered, referring to her tattooed skin, "look, I'll show them to you later, just—"

She cut off, as I took off my jacket and she shrugged it on.

"Thank you," she whispered, squeezing my hand.

"Where's Ziva?" Skye asked, stepping out of the bathroom after a 'real' shower.

"Gibbs decided to give me another chance, "I answered as she surveyed my bag on the futon.

"I'm sorry…"

From the sound of it, she didn't apologize much.

"No, I shouldn't have asked all that stuff—"

"That was just—my—plan, so I could get alone for a swim."

"Only you weren't alone."

She froze, midway through handing me my jacket.

"Jace?" I asked.

"Yes. We got in a fight."

"Is that why you were crying?"

She narrowed her eyes, shoving the jacket at me.

"I _don't _cry."

"And you don't lie either?"

She gave me a lopsided smile, handing me my jacket.

"Would you like to see my tattoos?" she asked.

The look on her face could've been on the cover of any of the magazines Tony had in his desk, the ones that you should be twenty-one to even read the title…

I nodded, swallowing hard.

She took my hand and I sat down on the bed.

And slowly, she started to take off her shirt.

I glanced at the door, "It's locked," she said, "and not even Tony could pick it… or break it down," she added.

Her reassurance calmed me… until her shirt was all the way off…

She was wearing a lacy red and black bra, and I'd bet money she was wearing the matching underwear.

I shuddered, moving my jacket across my lap.

The tattoos were everywhere, and as she slowly turned, I saw more on her back.

"How have you… kept them a secret for so long?"

She pulled a white container out of her bag, handing it to me.

"I wouldn't—"

But I had already stuck a curious finger into the substance. And it stung like crazy.

"What the hell is that stuff?!"

She laughed, taking it back.

"Yeah, it burns, but that goes away eventually…" she laughed as I waved my hurting finger around, "It's not waterproof, but I use it when I need to."

She laid back on the bed beside me, and I found myself tracing along the lines on her shirtless stomach.

"That futon really isn't that comfortable…" she said.

I willed her to stop me, to tell me no. But she didn't talk and I didn't stop.

She stood up quickly, as did I, pressing her against the wall. We kissed for a long moment, before pulling back for a quick breath, and then she returned her lips to mine.

"Tim, if we do this—there's no taking it back. I don't want to hear you regret this. We can stop now."

She was laying in my chest, and my arms were around her. I could feel her heart beat, matched with her calm, sleep-filled breathing. I didn't regret a thing.

I awoke a few hours later as Skye sat up, stretching her arms. I didn't blush, seeing her bare chest.

"Timothy McGee…" she murmured, shaking her head teasingly.

I grinned, "Yes, Miss DiNozzo?"

She leaned down, kissing me on the lips, and then slid out of the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"They can't just find us like this," she pulled on her discarded clothes.

"Oh. Right."

She laughed, and I stood up, my hand reaching gently around her neck.

"Happy birthday," I murmured.

She let me pull her closer, her fingers in my hair.

The kiss was both thrilling and terrifying. It was much like our first kiss, only this one was tainted; as if it were a goodbye kiss. We both knew there was a hard battle ahead of us.

**Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes it is that little voice at the end of the day saying, "Tomorrow, I will try again."**

** Special thanks to Eminem* **


	7. Leaving

**It's been a long time, I know!! But I've been sooo busy!! An excuse or a whiny attempt to explain that I've been a little off my game lately, I don't know. But it's up! So enjoy!!**

~Skye's POV~

I woke up groggy, as if I hadn't gotten much sleep.

_Oh wait! I was having illegal sex with my brother's best friend for half the night!_

I rolled over with a groan, surprised to find Tony leaning up against the wall.

"Morning, sleeping beauty…"

I stuck my tongue out at him, grabbing the cup of coffee out of his hand.

"Hey!" he protested, but I had already started drinking it; it was hot and felt good in my throat.

Tony sighed,"I hope you like that; you owe me $4.98."

"You pay five dollars for coffee? There are free ones in the kitchen."

"I know, I like the good stuff."

"I'm sure you do."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What's what supposed to mean?"

"Don't play dumb, Skye."

"I'm not dumb."

"I never said you were."

"It was implied."

"_Nothing_ was implied."

"Alright, cut it out, you two are giving me a headache!" Ziva said, walking through the door, "Mr. Ellis wants to see you in half an hour, Skye."

"Alright," I finished Tony's coffee and with a smirk, throwing the empty cup back to him.

.~.

I sat down in the familiar chair across from Ellis, in his familiar office. _Everything_ was familiar, except for the fact that there were four NCIS agents standing by the door…

"You need to do a demonstration," he said, handing me a cup of coffee.

"What?! But _they're _here…"

"They might as well see what you can do."

I sighed, deciding it wasn't worth the fight, "With who?"

_Please not Jace, please not Jace, please not Jace—_

"With Jace, of course."

_Fuck._

.~.

I suited up, wrapping my knuckles and putting on the traditional black fight uniform. I looked at the mirror in the locker room, pulling my hair into a pony tail. I sighed as one of my instructors popped his head into the door.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be…"

.~.

A "demonstration" is where you fight another person on a stage in front of other people; not to say it isn't real, because it's _pretty fucking real._ Weapons aren't permitted, and you have to fight until one person is unconscious or one of the instructors stops you.

I thought about this as I advanced to the stage facing Jace, dressed in similar clothing.

I backed up slowly…

"Go."

He ran at me and I threw my fist, connecting painfully with his shoulder.

He staggered back," I guess that means you're still mad at me?" grinning boyishly, as he rubbed his shoulder.

I swung my leg at him and he caught my foot, twisting me in midair. I landed lightly on my other foot, throwing all my weight into the leg he was holding onto; he slid back into the wall, gasping for breath.

"You could say that," I answered.

.~.

Time passed quickly, fighting with Jace. We were both sweating and tired as hell, but neither of us would give up. I had gotten some pretty good punches in, and his face showed it, but I wasn't looking much better.

"Alright, that's enough. Go get cleaned up," one of our instructors said, and just like that we stopped everything, and left the stage.

"Can we talk?" Jace asked me.

I sent him a look that would've made any normal person take off running, but he just smirked and followed after me.

.~.

"You're hurting my feelings," Jace complained as I held a bandage to my lip, trying to stop the bleeding. I raised an eyebrow.

"You not talking to me."

"Hi! There, I talked to you."

"You don't have to be sarcastic with everything, you know."

"Oh really? That used to be something you just absolutely_ loved _about me."

"Skye, can we just _stop_?"

I sighed, "Alright."

"Truce?"

"Truce."

I kissed his forehead.

~Tony's POV~

Sure, we had seen her fight from the video on her computer, but seeing her fight in the flesh was totally different. She and the boy she was fighting were incredible; I was even questioning my own chance against her…

"So we're leaving tomorrow?" Skye asked, sitting down on her bed.

I nodded, "Yeah, the director wants us back."

She looked like she was recalling memories of Director Shepard before we had left.

"So, what did Ellis tell you?" she questioned.

_The tall, brown-haired man slapped the thick vanilla folder down in front of Gibbs._

'_A copy of Skye's records' Mr. Ellis told us._

'_Why give them to _us_?' Ziva asked._

'_Because,' he looked like she had just insulted him, 'I want to be sure my best agent is safe.'_

_Was that all he thought of my baby sister? An… agent of some kind? I wasn't sure if Gibbs still wanted to go through with his plan of trying to get Skye to become close to one of us and then spilling; he didn't think interrogation was the best idea…_

'_And her personality?' Gibbs asked._

_Mr. Ellis sat back down in his chair, 'She is bad tempered, absolutely fearless, unpredictable, strong, as loyal as it gets, though she does have trust issues. But if you _do _gain her trust, she'll be with you to the end.'_

"Hello??" Skye waved a hand in front of my face, and I snapped back from the flashback.

"Oh, he just told us about you."

"Did he give you the folder?"

"Uhh—"

She chuckled, almost darkly, "You'll have fun with that…"

~Skye's POV~

I hugged my best friend tightly, looking back at the plane I was about to board that would take me back to D.C., away from him.

"I miss you already," I whispered.

"It won't be so bad," Jace told me as he looked deep into my eyes, trying as hard as he could to hide the pain in his voice.

I ran my fingers through his black hair, "I'm going to be gone a long time."

And just like that, he shut down.

"Take care of Harrison," he said, nodding toward the hamster cage McGee was carrying on the plane. Leave it up to Jace to remind me of one of my most painful memories, that just so happened to be deeply connected to that little hamster.

"You should get going."

I looked to see Gibbs waiting impatiently for me.

Jace held me for a moment longer, and then turned and walked away.

~McGee's POV~

"Go talk to her," Tony pushed me toward Skye.

"Tony, she's _your _sister!" I protested, but found myself making my way across the plane to where Skye was staring intently at her phone, tapping away. But if Gibbs' plan of one of us getting close to her was ever going to work, it might as well be me; I mean, sex is pretty close if you ask me…

I closed the door and she snapped her phone shut, looking questioningly at me.

This was the first time we'd talked since we'd had sex, and I didn't know if anything had changed.

"You do know I can find out what you were doing on there right now," I said sitting down next to her, but leaving space between us, still unsure of what I was doing.

She slid close to me, and I automatically put my arm around her.

"You'll have to get it first," she said, slipping her phone in her pocket, raising an eyebrow at me; a challenge.

"Maybe another time," I said, trying to be smooth.

She laughed, I didn't know if that meant it'd worked, or she thought the attempt was funny, but I didn't have much time to dwell on it, because at that moment she put her head on my shoulder, mumbling something into my shirt.

"What?" I asked, feeling stupid.

"Can I tell you a secret?" she mumbled miserably.

"Of course… Skye, what's wrong?"

She waited long enough to make me nervous, and I had just begun to doubt whether she was going to say anymore, when she answered, "Tim… I'm worried about…" she waited another long moment.

"Skye…?"

"Tony, because all I want is for him to be safe. Gibbs, because I know he wants to help me and I'm not giving him much to work with. And all of the rest of the team… Ziva, Abby, Ducky, Palmer… _you_… because I don't want to drag any of you into something you shouldn't be involved in."

Just then, I ached for answers, but I knew in my heart that this wasn't the time to force questions down her throat; it was a time to give comfort. And that was exactly what I did.

"I'll be here for you always."

"I know," she pulled her knees onto my lap, snuggling deeper into me, and I held her even tighter.

It was only when she fell asleep did I realize she had never said anything about being worried about herself.

**I LOVE NCIS!!! Andd someone else, tho I can't work up the guts to tell him… is it too early??? Thank you all, for staying with me!! **


	8. The Beginning

~Skye's POV~

"Skye?"

"Ya, it's me."

*Silence*

"Are you there? Baby… is something wrong?"

It all came out in one big rush, "I love you. But I did something. Something bad. That might make you not love me anymore. I didn't think… and now… now I regret it more than anything."

"Skye… slow down…"

"I—I can't… I just… I just need to see you… please."

"Skye, we—"

"Jace. Please."

**Don't hate me too much... But what would a story be without a torn heart? More soon... I HOPE.!**


	9. White House and White Light

_**Here you go! Long overdue, I know!**_

~Skye's POV~

Sure, in the business I've grown up in, I've had a fair share of near death experiences. This one wasn't unlike the others, me saving someone else's ass and getting the shitty end of the deal. I felt entirely numb, like a weight was keeping my entire body still. I wanted to move, I wanted to scream, but I couldn't.

At first, I was unsure whether or not I was breathing, but eventually I recognized my own gasping breaths. A lot happened as I drifted in and out of consciousness, I remember hoping I wouldn't forget anything, but as it turned out I scarcely remember any of it.

I finally fell into a place of uneasy nothingness. Here, I reviewed a lot of what had happened the last few days, in case I was indeed deceased, and it was time to make my plea in front of the Almighty. And in case I wasn't dead, and needed a plan.

_ "__I—I can't… I just… I just need to see you… please."_

_"Skye, we—"_

_"Jace. Please."_

I stayed there in that nothingness trying to remember what happened after that, but I couldn't recall a single thing about that conversation.

"_I know you don't believe me; but people really _are_ trying to kill us. And Mom and Dad _were _murdered. Maybe if we go to their house—I can prove to you that I'm right. Tony, please. I want you to believe me."_

"_Skye, it's not that easy. It's not whether or not I believe you, it's the fact that you have no proof. Wait. God, no, you know what I mean!"_

"_They raped me on camera, and that's not proof?"_

"_Skye, that is NOT what I meant!"_

"_Whatever."_

"_Where are you going?"_

"_To Mom and Dad's house! To prove that I'm fucking RIGHT!"_

"_You just can't go by yourself."_

"_So you're admitting that I might be in some danger?"_

"_I don't know! You won't tell me ANYTHING about the past eight years!"_

_He ducked as I hurled the closest object at him._

Why couldn't I remember the rest of _that _conversation either?

~Jace's POV~

"Thank you—for informing me."

Abby nodded, "I figured you'd want to know."

We stood at the foot of the hospital bed, both lost in thought.

"What happened?" I finally asked.

"Come on," she said, "let's sit down, get a cup of coffee… then we'll talk."

!.~.!

"So," the Goth started, as we found a table in the quiet coffee shop across the street from the hospital, "Her and Tony got in a fight before they left to go to their parent's house. Apparently he let our skepticism about everything slip. Wow, were we ever wrong… Anyways, eventually, they made it to the house where Tony said everything looked the same as the last time he'd been there. Then they got ambushed when they went upstairs. He thinks there were about eight guys, and he and Skye managed to shoot three down, and she killed two more somehow. Tony didn't see those last two, seeing as Skye pushed him out the window when they both ran out of ammo. By the time he made it back upstairs, Gibbs and Ziva were there and only one guy was alive. And Skye, well she was on the floor."

I nodded. This all seemed like something that would happen. Where Skye goes, trouble follows. The part about her pushing Tony out the window, well, that was something Skye would do. She always has worried about everyone but herself, and she'd do anything to get them out of harm's way. Even pushing them out of a two story window. At least from what I'd heard, Tony just had some cracked ribs and a cut on his forehead from the fall. She must've thought about that window from the beginning.

"Jace?"

"Wha? Oh, sorry Abby, I was just thinking. What did you say again?"

"I asked how you got here so fast."

Shit.

"Oh."

Like Skye, lying came easily to me, but I felt this time, the truth was a better choice.

"Skye called me yesterday at one in the morning. She said she wanted me to come to DC."

"Why?"

I shook my head, "I don't know, she just said she did some bad things, and she needed to see me."

"And you just picked everything up and came here?"

"I've known Skye long enough to know that whatever reason she does things for, it's a good one."

She nodded, "I understand. Do you think she knew something was going to go down at the house? No, if she did, she would've had the rest of the team go with her and Tony… right?"

"Wrong; she would've gone by herself. Or with me."

"Why?"

"That's just the way she is…"

At that moment, Abby's phone rang.

"Oh my God, Jace, she's awake!"

She grabbed her purse and I hurried after her out the door. The same question popped into my head, the same one that had been on my mind the whole time I sped across the country: Did this girl love me again?

_**Not what you expected, huh? No moment of Skyelar pouring out her heart? Don't worry, it's coming… maybe ;)**_


End file.
